Monday, March 22, 2010

Here are some pictures from the same trip as the lighthouse pictures. I spent a few days camped right next to the beach with my family. It is still one of my favorite family vacations I have ever been on and these are some of my favorite pictures to this day, maybe they are good photos, but they also remind me of a lovely time. It seems that art is as much about the emotion it evokes as it is lighting, composition, etc. These photos remind me of being relaxed. They remind me of waking up early which is something I love though I'm not good at it. They remind me of camping and all that goes with it; bandanas, camp food (read good food. Food cooked outdoors is inherently better than normal food), camp fires, and just plain simplifying. There is a lot to be said for simple living.

From cliche lighthouse photos we get to inside the cute little lighthouse for a great view.

A detailed shot of the railing the goes around the top of the lighthouse. I love the weathering, the layers of rust and the way the salt water has altered the paint on the ball. Of course the roman numerals. Each post around the railing was numbered. I'm not sure why, but I do love it. I wonder about the care that went into building a railing that needs numbers.

This fern was on the hike up to the lighthouse. I love ferns. period.

The underside of a sand dollar on the beach. I'd never noticed the veiny underbellies until this very day. You learn something new everyday.

And this picture of my brother. I love the story this one holds. Him looking around, trying to figure out how to get this kite launched on his own. Or I suspect, more likely, looking around in order to look like he needed assistance launching the kite, so that I would put down my camera to help him out. I did. But I'm glad I got this photo first.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

My brother recently posed the question of originality. Which, though he applies to writing, I thought a curious thing when it comes to photography. Admittedly, every photo you take is your own, therefore a bona fide original. BUT, does it make it original in the sense of thought. We've all heard the phrase, "there's no such thing as an original thought". Maybe. I'm not too sure about that though.

Remember in grade school when you thought of some great picture and when you started drawing it the person next to you said, "hey! don't copy me!" and you said, "I'm not, I thought of this on my own" and they said, "I thought of it first". Invariably it comes to "you copied what I was thinking". This speaks to a couple aspects of originality I think. Firstly, I suspect that the need to be original is pretty important. Why else would we have had these silly little tiffs? Secondly, I wonder if it still counts as original thought if you thought of it on your own, without ever knowing someone else did. Even though someone else did in fact think of it too. Is it possible for two separate people to think of the same original thought without the influence of the other? Is is an original thought then?

I know you are all thinking that this a pretty cool post about the philosophy of originality but I want to know more about photography (don't worry, I do too) so here it is. Two relatively cliche photos of a lighthouse.

Decent photos? Sure. Originals? Most definitely. Original? Debatable. I saw the shot, composed the picture and all that goes into making a photo. But has this been done before? Yup. So what makes a photo original? What makes it creative and not just copying the stuff that's been done before? Is this the stuff that makes it good? I mean really good. Not just decent. As someone who is trying to get really good at photography, I've been trying to put a finger on this for some time now, but it is so hard to define. I guess that's just one of the many reasons art is so subjective.

So what do you all think about all this? What makes something original? and what makes something art? (seriously, you don't have to write an essay response, but if you chose to, you have no idea how delighted I'd be)

What are you trying to get really good at and how will you know you've gotten there?

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Well, the picture is focused. Still working on life. I tried to slow things down today and just give me and my thoughts some time. I suppose I was thinking of sleep because that's what happened. Sigh. Reflection was lost, but I must have needed the sleep.

Although I have technically put photography on the to do list now, it is one of those things that helps me focus. No, not the photos. My glasses help me do that. Seriously though, making photos gives me the chance to see things. I mean see things. Do you know what I mean? I love it when I find something lovely somewhere I've been hundreds of times before. All of a sudden something shows itself and I feel like I've just learned something new and something beautiful all at the same time.

So what helps you focus, or stay tuned in to life? Does cooking help you keep your cool? Singing? Running? What do you do?

Monday, March 8, 2010

I've been feeling a little out of focus lately. So much to do and so little time to just do one thing right. In spite of the lack of focus in this picture. I still love it. I love the red. Really love the red. And I guess that's sort of how life is sometimes. A little out of focus but still lovely. And if you really want to see a focused picture, maybe I'll put one up tomorrow. (of the pretty red even!)

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

One of my goals with this blog is to try new things. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut and take shots of the same things that I love and that I know turn out well. But that doesn't help me grow or progress. So I took a job doing something new. I took some textile shots for a couple who are starting up a cloth diapering business. It was kind of a fun job actually. It was a challenge to get the lighting right to get things like the texture in this fabric

It was good for me to think in terms of what a consumer would want to see. As someone who uses cloth diapers I've done the research and the shopping around and it is nice to feel like I was able to help people out as they go through the same process I did. ("but will the legs fit MY baby? and what's so great about velcro?")

It was also really pretty fun to "pose" the diapers too. To find a um...flattering angle. (do diapers care? I dunno, but I do)

All, told. I learned a bit and tried something new. Have you done anything new lately? What have you learned? If not, do try something and then come back and tell me about it! It will be fun, and maybe you will inspire me to try a new hobby.